Travel to the Finnish Lake District – a stunning frozen wilderness dotted with thousands of bodies of water enclosed in pine forests

But next thing I knew we were back on the road — the ice road, that is — and we were heading for the middle of the lake.

There are some things in life you think you’ll never get your head around.

But this is the winter wonderland of Finland and the rules you’ve lived by all your days don’t apply.

Once you learn to roll with it, you’re in for the adventure of your life.

Most Read in Travel

TRIP ADVISED

Idyllic Scots beach named second best in the UK - and among top 20 in Europe

SEEING RED

Amsterdam bans tourists from staring at sex workers in the Red Light District

TOP SCOT

Scots city among New Orleans and Caribbean as New York Times 2018 top destination

MAKING A SPLASH

TripAdvisor reveals Europe's best beaches... and Bournemouth is number FIVE

ISLE BE DAMNED!

These UK destinations look so exotic they could be abroad... so can you guess where they are?

My wife Margaret and I had travelled to the Finnish lake district, a stunning wilderness dotted with thousands of bodies of water enclosed in pine forests, all frozen solid for four or five months a year.

Our base was a cosy wooden cabin on the edge of Lake Soukkio, as warm and comfy as it is well-equipped, though we decided to save the sauna for a summer return visit!

It takes a bit of getting used to, the notion that everywhere you look is covered in snow — and that it’s there to stay.

On the days when the sun doesn’t break through, it’s like living in a black-and-white photo.

There’s a stillness and a peaceful beauty to it all as shades of silver and grey sparkle in the air and shimmer through the trees.

You come across little faith-in-humanity-restoring kindnesses all the time. The teenagers who leapt out of their seats to help us get our cases down from the racks at our train station.

The invite to an exclusive trout paradise that Pasi arranged after picking up on a passing remark that fly-fishing is my passion.

The lovely, accommodating Finnair lady at Helsinki Airport who ripped up the random boarding cards the check-in machine had spat out and sorted out seats together for the flight home.

That was typical of the hassle-free, comfortable journey we had with Finland’s national airline. It’s that attitude, as much as the country itself, that we fell in love with.

Not only did it make us vow to return for another holiday, but to seriously believe this was a place where we could live.

WHAT COSTS WHAT?

Two-hour husky safari for up to 10 people: £333 (€390).

DO: visit Kahvila Reissupannu road cafe.

DON’T: worry about the ice — it holds snowploughs.

GO: FINLAND

GETTING THERE: Finnair fly from Edinburgh to Helsinki with fares from £192 return. They fly on Mondays, Thursdays and Sundays with an extra Tuesday and Wednesday flight in summer.

See finnair.com

STAYING THERE: Rock and Lake organise lakeside cabin rental and a range of outdoor activities — including fishing, bird-watching, skiing, sailing and husky safaris — through a network of local companies.

A week’s cabin rental starts from £333.

Check out rockandlake.com

MORE INFO: For everything you will need to plan a trip to Finland, summer of winter, see visitfinland.com.

We pay for your stories and videos! Do you have a story or video for The Scottish Sun Online? Email us at scottishsundigital@news.co.uk or call 0141 420 5266